Empowering Girls of Color to Find Their Spark

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Claire Kim. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

For Claire Kim, volunteering is an act of love. As Vice President and Civics Project Director of Empower Girls of Color (EGC), she builds educational projects that help girls of color see the power of their own voices. Her signature initiative, V.I.V.A. (Voices Inspiring Voter Awareness), connects the overlooked stories of women-of-color suffragists to today’s activists, making civic history feel personal and possible. Claire and her team have distributed more than 500 illustrated booklets through libraries and community centers and built a workshop series that has reached over 2,000 children and families.

Beyond civics, Claire conducts EGC’s Empowerment Interviews with women leaders, helped publish the anthology Our Mothers’ Colorful Stories, and created Friends Around the World, a puppet storybook celebrating diverse cultures. Through EGC’s Tutoring Project, she worked one-on-one with a student from a single-mother household, watching hesitation turn into pride as the girl began sharing solved math problems and favorite books.

Across partnerships with Oasis NJ, YMCA Paterson, Give Chances NJ, and the Korean Community Center, Claire has learned that change comes from trust and connection. “I’ve come to recognize an inner spark in each person,” she says. Her mission is now to help young people find their own.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Claire? Find local volunteer opportunities.